After a phase of rapid expansion and experimentation, the Indian OTT industry in 2025 took a noticeable pause to reassess its direction. Platforms across the ecosystem began re-evaluating what sustainable growth truly means in a crowded and competitive market. Reflecting on the year and sharing his outlook for 2026, Mr. Pratap Jain, Founder & CEO, ChanaJor, offers insight into how the industry evolved across business, content, language, and marketing.
“2025 emerged as a year of course correction for the Indian OTT industry. The focus moved away from aggressive expansion towards building sustainable businesses, with platforms becoming far more mindful of costs, audience retention, and content performance. Rather than chasing scale blindly, the industry began valuing clear positioning and loyal viewership, signalling a shift where discipline mattered more than hype. By this point, OTT had moved past its phase of experimentation, entering a more mature stage defined by sharper business thinking where growth, retention, and relevance took precedence over sheer volume. The conversation was no longer about who launched the most shows, but about who truly understood their audience. Overall, 2025 marked a turning point for the ecosystem, as platforms reassessed how they grow, where they invest, and how they stay relevant in an increasingly crowded market.”
This broader industry shift also shaped ChanaJor’s internal priorities over the year. Jain notes that from both a business and content lens, the focus was on making more deliberate choices rather than expanding aggressively. “For us, 2025 was about investing smarter in content. Instead of increasing volume, we focused on stories that genuinely connect with our Hindi-speaking audience. From a business lens, content led every decision distribution and monetization followed what viewers were actually watching and finishing. The biggest shift was moving from experimentation to conviction-driven storytelling.”
Language and regional focus continued to play a central role in driving growth. According to Jain, ChanaJor’s positioning as a Hindi-only platform became a key strength during the year. “At ChanaJor, our focus has always been clear we are a Hindi-only platform. In 2025, this clarity became our biggest strength. Hindi content allowed us to reach audiences across Tier 2, Tier 3, and emerging markets where relatability matters more than scale. We don’t see language diversity as a necessity for growth; instead, we see depth within Hindi storytelling as our long-term advantage. This focus will remain central in 2026.”
Marketing strategies across the OTT space also reflected this shift towards efficiency and clarity. Jain points out that performance-led approaches dominated spends during the year. “In 2025, marketing spends were largely performance-driven focused on digital discovery, platform integrations, and content-led promotions. Efficiency and measurable outcomes were key.” Looking ahead, he expects a more balanced mix. “In 2026, we expect a gradual shift towards stronger brand-building, while maintaining performance discipline. As the platform matures, trust and recall will play a larger role in driving sustained growth.”
As the industry moves into the new year, Jain says sharper identity-led communication will be a key priority. “Our biggest resolution is to communicate our identity more clearly. Instead of marketing every release aggressively, we want to strengthen what ChanaJor stands for authentic Hindi stories that feel rooted and relatable. Consistency in messaging will matter more than frequency.”
Sharing his view on what lies ahead for the OTT industry, Jain highlights a few defining trends.
“The coming year will be shaped by a stronger focus on viewer retention and engagement, not just acquisition, growth of short and micro-format storytelling with high relatability, and platforms building clear cultural and language identities instead of trying to be everything for everyone. The OTT platforms that succeed in 2026 will be the ones that stay focused, understand their audience deeply, and tell stories with honesty.”
